Vision: To make this web site the most important source in the world for useful information about the sustainability, and the economic and nutritional value of using insects as food for humans and other animals.

Save the Date: Invitation to 2nd Global Conference
"Insects to Feed the World"
Call for papers

Dear colleagues,

The 1st International Conference "Insects to feed the world" was held from 14-17 May 2014 in Ede (Wageningen), the Netherlands. Dr. Arnold van Huis and Dr. Paul Vantomme (FAO senior officer) served as the chair persons. The conference brought together for the first time the largest assembly of stakeholders from all over the world to consider key aspects of collection, production, processing, nutrition, marketing and consumption related to insects in a global multi-stakeholder dialogue. The conference marked an important step towards mobilizing the potential of insects as human food and animal feed to contribute to global food security and in particular to exchange information on the feasibility of mass rearing of insects to increase the availability of animal proteins in a more sustainable way.

The 2nd International Conference "Insects to Feed the World" aims to address all aspects related to insects as food and feed and will bring together research scientists, government officials and private sector representatives from the food and feed sector from both developing and developed countries. The overall objective of the conference is to further explore the potential of edible insects for food and feed security.

Specific objectives (still updating):

1. General overview of our present food/feed production systems and the role of insects.
2. General overview of using insects in China for food, feed and healthcare
3. Ethno-entomology: history and status of use of edible insects by specific peoples in given countries.
4. Farming insects as food and feed.
5. Nutrition, processing and conservation of edible insects.
6. Insects as food and feed components and supplements.
7. Environmental issues in gathering and farming insects.
8. Food safety, legislation and policy.
9. Market analysis and economic evaluation.
10. Consumer attitudes.
11. Need for further research and policy formulation, resources science, biology and ecology of edible insects.

The conference targets people from all over the world and we invite all to participate in activities such as oral and poster presentations, discussion groups, and symposia. Prominent experts from diverse backgrounds will update us about the newest developments. All attendants are welcome to actively participate in the various activities, including the excursions to be organized during the last day to scientific institutes, private enterprises and the catering industry.
Please distribute the information above internationally and locally through all your contacts, channels and networks.
In case of any need of assistance, please don't hesitate to get in contact with

United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO)
Insects to Feed the World ConferenceWageningen University
14-17 May 2014, Ede Netherlands
There were 450 participants from 45 countries. Disciplinary origins ranged from entomologists, psychologists, microbiologists, physicians, veterinarians, nutritionists, to federal government regulatory officers, chefs, designers, architects, and entrepreneurs; a most amazing combination of people. Creativity, science, enthusiasm for sustainable living and food production,
all in one place.
FAO: Insects as Food and Feed

"Speaking in plain, but engaging language, Daniella Martin draws us into her adventure in the world of edible insects. Side-by-side with Daniella, we follow her around the world,
beginning with her quest into ancient Aztec cuisine as a cultural anthropology student and traveling up to the present moment with her as a media celebrity and an accomplished gourmet
chef. This is not just an entertaining coffee-table book but a moment to ask serious questions about cultural aversions that are now stumbling blocks in our quest for healthy diets in a sustainable world." Dr. Florence V. Dunkel

To see Daniella Martin - Girl Meets Bug - Video of Preparing and Eating a Scorpion, please click the Culinary Arts link in left panel

This is a good time to consult the information-rich report released this week by the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) on Edible Insects. There is a 190 page version and a 4 page summary available to download. See below: JUST RELEASED! for the FAO link.

Congratulations to Arnold van Huis, Joost Van Itterbeeck, Harmke Klunder, Esther Mertens, Afton Halloran, Giulia Muir, and Paul Vantomme on a beautiful, well organized, and interesting paper. The diversity of topics in great detail all in one document is what stands out, making this a monumental piece of work. This will be useful around the world, particularly in Western cultures who so much need a document of this level of seriousness. Congratulations and thank you to this team for their dedication, organization, global perspective, and attention to detail.

We are concerned about our sustainable food practices right now and for the near future. We are concerned about overharvesting our oceans. We are concerned about running out of land, water, and fossil fuels, just to produce beef which is a much higher methane producer while Galleria and other land shrimp, the insects, are more nutritious and more efficient converters of food into protein. Try land shrimp. They are more nutritious and more gentle on the environment than beef. Open your world to other ways of knowing---knowledge developed over millennia by other-than-western cultures.

Persons attending the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Conference
"Assessing the Potential of Insects as Food and Feed
in Assuring Food Security"
Rome, Italy, 23-25 January 2012